Two University of Guelph geography professors are taking part in special events this month that celebrate the anniversaries of popular CBC radio programs.
Retired U of G geography professor Barry Smit, one of the world’s leading authorities on climate change, is participating in a live recording of the science program Quirks and Quarks Oct. 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Hart House Theatre in Toronto.
Prof. Evan Fraser, known for teaching global food security in novel ways, will be part of IDEAS’s 50th anniversary show Oct. 22 at 6:30 p.m. at CBC Toronto’s Glenn Gould Studio.
Both events are free and open to the general public.
Smit, a University professor emeritus, will appear on a panel of scientists looking at changes in science and environmental issues covered by the radio program during the past four decades. He will discuss the impacts of climate change.
The event will be moderated by Quirks and Quarks host Bob McDonald, who received an honorary degree from U of G in 2003. The 40th anniversary show will air Oct. 17 at noon on CBC Radio One.
Smit, who held the Canada Research Chair in Global Environmental Change for a decade, was among the first to investigate human vulnerability and adaptation to climate change. He has been a member of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since its establishment 25 years ago and was lead author of its fourth assessment report in 2007. The IPCC team, including Smit, shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize with environmental activist and former U.S. vice-president Al Gore.
Fraser will be part of a panel discussion on “Famine, Shelter, War – Surviving the Next 50 Years and Beyond” hosted by IDEAS’s Paul Kennedy. He will discuss the challenge of feeding the world’s growing population.
Fraser holds the Canada Research Chair in Global Food Security and a prestigious Trudeau Fellowship. He has raised awareness of the consequences of food price volatility and sought ways to reduce waste in global food systems. He co-authored the book Empires of Food: Feast, Famine and the Rise and Fall of Civilizations and created “Feeding Nine Billion,” a project intended to spark discussion about feeding the Earth’s ballooning human population.